Obama Plans to Host Meeting With Netanyahu

Washington — President Obama plans to host Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel for a meeting in November, the White House said on Friday, marking the start of efforts to repair a troubled relationship between the United States and Israel badly frayed over the nuclear agreement with Iran.

With the deal now weeks away from taking effect over the vocal objections of Mr. Netanyahu and Republicans in Congress, Mr. Obama is turning to the task of enforcing its requirements and trying to contain its negative consequences. The president will use the meeting with Mr. Netanyahu to renew a longstanding offer of more military aid designed to bolster Israel’s defenses as Iran receives tens of billions of dollars in sanctions relief from the nuclear accord — money that the prime minister has argued will go directly to funding terrorism against his country.

Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said, “The president has indicated on a number of occasions his desire to begin consultations with our Israeli allies about how to further deepen that cooperation.”

“We’re looking forward to doing that,” he said.

Mr. Netanyahu has rebuffed the offer of strengthened security cooperation in recent weeks, White House officials have said, focusing instead on his effort to derail the Iran agreement in Congress. Now that the Israeli leader’s bid has failed, Mr. Earnest suggested discussions on the matter would move forward.

“The president believes the future of the relationship between the U.S. and Israel is so critically important, and the president believes that that future is something worth talking about and investing in,” Mr. Earnest said. “I’m sure that will be part the discussion he’ll have with the prime minister.”

The session, which Mr. Earnest said has yet to be scheduled but would likely occur early in November, will also be a chance for the two leaders to clear the air after an often bitter and starkly partisan debate over the Iran deal’s merits.

Mr. Obama made little secret of his anger early this year when Mr. Netanyahu arranged to address a joint meeting of Congress to denounce the pending agreement, without first informing senior members of the president’s team. Mr. Obama declined to host the Israeli prime minister at the White House during his March trip to Washington to deliver the speech, citing a policy against inviting world leaders within weeks of their elections.

And in the months since, the president has aggressively countered Mr. Netanyahu’s arguments against the deal, characterizing opposition as rawly partisan and opponents as warmongers.

But the White House on Friday said the face-to-face meeting was a sign that ties between the two nations were durable enough to withstand the strains.

“It’s an indication that despite our well-known differences on even some key issues, the bond between the United States and Israel when it comes to our security relationship is unshakable,” Mr. Earnest said.

He said he could not think of another United States ally with whom Mr. Obama had “had such a vigorous and public disagreement” during his six and a half years in office.

“The fact that the leaders in these two countries can come together, and have a conversation, and have actually an in-person meeting, I think, reflects the commitment of both the leaders of both those countries to the strength of this relationship,” Mr. Earnest added.